


Cold Feet and Warm Coffee

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I've always been fonder of the realistic heroine anyway.  Battle scars make a person so much more interesting.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Feet and Warm Coffee

Derek knocked on the Unit Chief’s door and stuck his head in.

“I'm outta here, Hotch. Prentiss is the rotten egg but she has a date so…”

“Prentiss is what?” Hotch asked, his throat closing thinking about Prentiss going on a date.

“She's the rotten egg…the last one left.”

“I'm here.”

“You're always here.” Morgan reasoned. “I'm starting to think you might be glued to the furniture.”

“Haha.” Hotch replied as Morgan grinned. “Did you say Prentiss was leaving?”

“She’ll be gone in a little while. She’s got a date…I weaseled it out of Penelope.”

“Oh that’s good.” He really couldn’t believe he managed to say it. “Getting out, having a social life, will never be a bad thing.”

“Hotch, do me a favor. Look in the mirror and say that.”

“Goodnight, Morgan.” He went back to his files.

“You know I only get on you because I care, right? I really do, even when you make me want to smother your face with a pillow. No one should be married to this job. It’s a fickle, cruel, and tiresome lover. We've all got the scars from her claws.”

“Some of us have more scars than that.” Hotch replied in a low tone.

“Tell me about it. Go home at a decent hour tonight, Hotch, I really mean that.”

“Right. Goodnight, Morgan.”

“Goodnight.”

He was gone and Hotch waited a few minutes, he actually counted to 200, before going to his window. Morgan and Prentiss were saying goodnight and then she picked up her phone. Whoever she was talking to made her smile. It was almost nine o’clock, what kind of date did you go on at this hour? Not that Hotch was some dating expert; he’d only ever been out with Haley. It was sad but true.

His ex-wife seemed to have landed on her feet when it came to the mating ritual but he was left flapping in the wind. She wasn’t even his ex-wife yet. Did her actions constitute infidelity? Did it matter since she’d already cheated on him? Hotch really needed to stop thinking about it. There were so many other things he couldn’t stop thinking about; this had to go to the back of a long line.

Hotch watched Emily hang up the phone. She did some cleaning of her desktop and then grabbed her messenger bag from the bottom drawer. When she stood and put it on her shoulder, Hotch casually left his office. The bullpen was still active…rarely was it quiet. News still played on the TVs, computers flashed information, and phones rang.

“Have a good night, Prentiss.” he said.

“Thanks; you too. Are you leaving?”

“Eventually.”

“Oh God,” Emily rolled her eyes. “One of these nights I'm gonna drag you out of here kicking and screaming.”

“Who says I’ll be kicking and screaming?” Hotch asked, giving himself a mental pat on the back for going there.

“Well, good then.” She smiled. “When you least expect it, I'll pounce on you.”

He didn’t have a response for that one. Prentiss dressed as Catwoman flashed through his mind. Bad, bad fantasy…so bad it was really, really good. He was sure that one would come around again and he knew exactly what he would be doing when it did.

“Have a good night.” Hotch pushed the words from his constricted throat.

“You do the same. Goodnight, Hotch.”

Emily walked to the elevator and even though he didn’t want to, well yes he did, Hotch’s eyes followed her the entire way. She wore two of his favorite colors today; maroon and grey. He was sure whoever she was meeting tonight would be very glad to see her. If he wasn’t then he was an idiot. For a moment Hotch thought it could be a she but Emily didn’t…did she? How would he know?

Oh God, another fantasy…he had to stop torturing himself. Sometimes Hotch felt like the only idiot in this equation. He sighed, going back into his office to work. One more hour and he’d head back to his empty apartment. That was something he didn’t want to think about. When there was more comfort in red tape than at home, a major change should take place.

***

“Good morning.” Hotch came into the kitchen and went straight for the cabinet where he kept his tea.

Emily said good morning while she stood by the coffeemaker fixing a cup. He glanced at her as he picked a teabag from his variety pack. He was looking for changes, cues that showed a woman had a good time the night before. Where was Morgan when he needed him? The Unit Chief sighed.

“Did you have a good time last night?” he asked in a low voice.

“What?” She looked at him.

“Did you have a good time last night? I heard you had a date.”

“Oh my God, are you serious?” Prentiss smirked. “You're becoming like one of the boys.”

“I am one of the boys.”

“No…” Emily drew the word out.

“I'm not?”

“No, you're Hotch.”

“Hmm.” He took that under consideration as he filled his cup with hot water from the cooler. “So you didn’t have a date last night?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Morgan might have mentioned it as he was leaving.”

“I met an old friend for coffee after work. She was one of my only friends in the Academy and now she's back in DC working at Headquarters. It was really good to spend some time together.”

“You went on a date with a girl?” Hotch asked.

“Take the word date out of the equation, Hotch. What's going on with you, I met an old friend for coffee. Geez. I don’t go on dates.”

“Why not?”

“Where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning is good.” He replied.

“You don’t have that kind of time.” Emily said. “It’s a long story with some sad parts. Our heroine takes a lot of pitfalls.”

“I've always been fonder of the realistic heroine anyway. Battle scars make a person so much more interesting.”

“Not everyone wears their scars on the outside.”

“I completely understand that. Do you like hockey?”

“What?” Emily looked at him. She was about to leave the kitchen, wasn’t sure where this strange conversation was going. There wasn’t even any coffee running through her veins yet…it wasn’t fair to do this to her before coffee.

“Are you a hockey fan?” Hotch asked.

“No, I'm not.”

“Good, neither am I. Maybe I can make us some dinner and we can not be hockey fans together.”

“What? Hotch…spit it out.”

“I’d like to make you dinner.” He said.

“Well I like food more than I like hockey.” Emily replied.

“So that would be a good idea?”

“Yeah, it would be.” She smiled. “I think this conversation might be better after coffee though. I need coffee.”

“OK.” Hotch nodded. “I'm sorry I'm not good at any of this.”

“Neither am I.” Emily walked over to him. She stood close enough to whisper. “I think we might be pretty not good together.”

“Was that supposed to sound as confusing as it did?” Hotch asked, his dimples coming out of their hiding place.

“I'm gonna go with yes.” Her smile matched his.

“Good morning.”

Rossi walked in and Hotch moved back to the counter and his tea in one step. The senior Agent grinned at his boss; he had no intention of stepping on Hotch’s toes. He should've asked the woman out months ago.

“If I need to heat this coffee, Hotch, the next cup is on you.”

“I have your back.” He said.

She smiled and walked away. Rossi poured himself a cup of coffee, looking at Hotch.

“No one ever said it was easy.” He said.

“What do you mean?”

“The opposite sex; it gets complicated.”

“I don’t want my tea to get cold.” Hotch replied, walking out of the kitchen.

He walked past Prentiss’ desk as he made his way back to his office. She was already starting her morning by teasing and goofing off with Reid. It seemed so effortless with her but from what she’d said it wasn’t at all. Maybe they could help each other and get on the path to getting it right together. Hotch didn’t think that would happen overnight but the more he thought about spending time with Emily, the more weightless he felt. It had been a long time since Hotch could ever say he felt weightless. It might not last long but…

“Hotch,” JJ knocked and opened the door after Hotch sat down at his desk. “Columbia, South Carolina is in trouble. We need to meet in the conference room.”

It lasted for a much shorter period of time than even Hotch expected. He sighed, looking into his still full cup of tea.

“Grab the team; I’ll be right in.”

JJ nodded, closing his door and making her way to the conference room. He took a sip of tea and a deep breath. It never ended. Now he had to get back into Unit Chief mode. There were probably a million reasons why it wasn’t easy but this one was pretty close to the top. The next night off he could get, Hotch promised himself he wasn’t going to waste it on paperwork.

***

  



End file.
